Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, … We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. (Hebrews 12:1-6 NLT)

Every weight. Wow. So, that must mean that there’s more than just one or two, but quite possibly several that we haven’t even realized are weights. You know what I’m talkin’ about, the stuff that weighs you down. The stuff where the hurt & the healer collide.

I’m so committed to gettin’ that junk off of me. Yesterday I kept replaying the devotional I read concerning Moses questioning his qualifications. UGGGGG talk about a pesky weight. All day I was feelin’ like Moses.

I’m committed to getting rid of this weight for good. I’ve set my FOCUS on staying #ANCHORED so I’ve surrounded myself with every possible resource I can find that will help me get beyond myself & my rationalizations. Those “as soon as” & “I’m gonna do this when” rationalizations.

I had to come to a point where I realized I didn’t have it all together, AND THAT’S A HARD PILL TO SWALLOW. I don’t know how to do everything, and yes I can do all things in Christ, because Christ will supply ALL of my needs; however those needs include connecting me with people who can teach me what I don’t know. Or people who can do things that I can’t.

I’m LOVIN’ LOSIN’ this extra weight!

The other day in our bible study we talked about honoring our uniqueness, that each of us are designed for a specific purpose and not a single one of us can do the other person’s job. (1 Corinthians 12)

What stood out to me most was the fact that the bible actually says we shouldn’t even consider ourselves more valuable than another person, or vise versa, nor should we think that we can do life without one another. This was proof that I can’t possibly do EVERYTHING, but I can do ALL THINGS that CHRIST gave ME strength to do.

1 CORINTHIANS 12: 14 – (ISV) For the body does not consist of only one part, but of many. 15If the foot says, “Since I’m not a hand, I’m not part of the body,” that does not make it any less a part of the body, does it? 16And if the ear says, “Since I’m not an eye, I’m not part of the body,” that does not make it any less a part of the body, does it? 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole bodye were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But now God has arranged the parts, every one of them, in the body according to his plan.f19Now if all of it were one part, there wouldn’t be a body, would there? 20So there are many parts, but one body.

21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you,” or the head to the feet, “I don’t need you.” 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are in fact indispensable, 23and the parts of the body that we think are less honorable are treated with special honor, and we make our less attractive parts more attractive. 24However, our attractive parts don’t need this. But God has put the body together and has given special honor to the parts that lack it,25so that there might be no disharmony in the body, but that its parts should have the same concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is praised, every part rejoices with it.

I love God’s way of putting the right message in front of us, at the perfect time. I’m still reading You’re Already Amazing. Well at this point I’m not reading it. I’m nibbling on it. In bite size pieces, savoring every morsel and allowing the taste to stay with me. Oh my gosh, God has connected the pieces of this book with literally every part, every situation and every person in my life. PROVIDENCE is what Beth Moore calls it. Praise the Lord for Providence.

prov·i·dence

/ˈprävədəns/

Noun

The protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power.

God or nature as providing such care.

Synonyms

foresight – forethought – prudence

According to merriam-webster’s here’s a clever way of considering that PROVIDENCE:

Rhymes with PROVIDENCE

ME LIKELY!!!!! Let’s run with that! When you get a chance, click each word and check out the definitions and look at how God works. WHEW y’all gonna get me shoutin’ hallelujah up in here!

So back to this providence of God. I’ve talked to so many people who have confessed one weight that consistently holds them back is financial freedom. I came across this financial freedom savings challenge & thought it would be awesome to include in our #LovinLosin challenge and help us adjust our “FOCUS”. In case you’re not sure what that means, I’ll refresh your memory on the F.O.C.U.S (finish our commitments unapologetically stronger).

What tends to hinder you? Fear of failure? Fear of commitment? Fear that you can’t do all things? Sometimes, the Providence of God says “DO WHAT YOU CAN” – you do what you can to take steps and move in the direction God has for your LIFE. (from You’re Already Amazing)

If you could create a “Do What You Can” plan, what would it look like?

Use this model from the resource library of You’re Already Amazing to help you: (please share your ‘plan’ in the comments below. I’d love to help you get rid of the extra weight. Don’t forget to apply your #LOVINLOSIN anchor scripture as you create this plan.

I’m breaking some old habits. Period. And rather than make the list of everything I need to work on, I’ve decided I’ll use all that energy to devote to the new habits! And here’s the thing, that energy & focus isn’t on ‘the working on & planning’ but on the actual doing.

So often we talk about what we’re getting ready to do. Then before long we are finding ourselves wandering around the mountains of Mt. woulda, coulda & shoulda. At some point we can’t keep running around the same mountain, we gotta be willing to move up.

This year I’m committing every area of my life FIRST to God. I mean full out, no apology, no question First Things First, God. I know if there’s something I should be doing, having, owning, enjoying…He’ll make sure I have it. So I’m cool with that.

Habit #1 I will be established, grounded, ANCHORED!

One Word – “One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live. One word that you can focus on every day, all year long.”

Hebrews 10:25
not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.Hebrews 10:24-26 (in Context)

What habits are you establishing for this new year? Need some help establishing your habits? Whatever habits you’ve had, whoever you’ve ‘always been’, you have the power to change, it’s all in your decisions.

Monday Monday! Oh man, I can’t even pretend to act like this Monday is one of those Mondays you watch the clock til the day is done, this Monday isn’t in the same category cuz I’m totally stoked!!!!! Y’all it’s New Year’s Eve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Last day of our #5dayFOCUS challenge to finish strong. Today’s #FOCUS word is

Your GPS (God Positioning System) is going to get you exactly where you need to go. And he promises to be with you every step of the way. -“You’re Already Amazing” by Holley Gerth (ch 5 pg. 79)

I was having a conversation with a few friends regarding fitness, spiritual balance and finding our own levels of accomplishments in the goals we’ve set over the past year and where we’re headed in the next year. Our conversation, I believe is the conversation most women are having either with trusted friends or among themselves for fear of being found vulnerable realizing we don’t yet have it together. I’m sharing this raw, unedited conversation with you because all to often we get trapped in this belief that we are the only ones who need help, lack strength, experience or flat out don’t know what happened to our ‘perfect plan’ and sometimes we don’t know how to move on.

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it’s the Lord’s purpose that prevails”

(Proverbs 19:21)

CHRISTIE: have you or anyone you knew prayed verses or prayers through out the workout?

ME: yup I have, still do. And I know several women who do it when they run/workout

That’s why I chose some of the music I choose because the lyrics are usually straight from scripture

CHRISTIE: yeah ok, my thought is if you stay focused on word rather than just doing it or to any other music it will be more… motivation and… be retraining your mind as well

renewal

ME: Everyone finds their own level of motivation. Sometimes I find myself just praising in the middle of my teaching. In the spirit I’m fighting battles, praising victories or just honoring God but I’m still talking to my class.

THAT is exactly what inneractive IS Ephesians 3:16-22

CHRISTIE: awesome if that is not my focus, i won’t be able to continue

ME: see sometimes we get so super spiritual and we’re quoting scripture and we say we are spiritually “strong” yet on the outside we are all sorts of out of shape But here’s the thing the enemy does. He knows he can’t mess with you on the spiritual stuff. right…

So he keeps attacking you on the outside

CHRISTIE: yep i believe that was what happened to me

cause i was praising,praying,professing & believing & doing and bam!

but then again i did not heed the warning the lord gave me

ME: He puts you in front of the mirror, someone you’ve been trying to prove yourself to or you’ve been subconsciously measuring yourself against and he starts to whisper lies

Trust me. I know it well he tries to get me all the time. sometimes I fall for it

CHRISTIE: we all do,i had to realize i am not you,you are far advanced than i even though it is a challenge & even though i received a set back,i am not a loser i just need to persistently keep movin

i was trying to prove i could with out paying attention to my body”s signs

God will only allow YOUR body to get in the shape IT needs to be in for the task YOU need to accomplish and YOU can only do what YOUR body will do

CHRISTIE: Learning to be a steward of my body,mind & spirit

it tells me what i need & what i need to focus on & adjust

ps 23: he is my shepherd/coach

If you’ve just joined our book discussion, this week we’re reviewing chapters 5 & 6 of You’re Already Amazing, in chapter 5 “Where Am I Going?” Holley Gerth helps us navigate the path we’re currently on. For some that path is twisting and seems like a bunch of zigzagging. For others it’s a long country corn field road that seems to go on forever with no scenery worth taking in, just straight ahead. Been there? I certainly have. What about the lonely road? The one you’re driving on, you keep checking your GPS to make sure you haven’t lost the signal cuz you’re the only car on the road? Did you miss the detour, the BRIDGE OUT sign…

God has a journey for your life. It looks different than anyone else’s. the road he’s carved out for you is yours alone. It’s always the road less traveled because you’re the only one who is ever going to walk it. (p.79)

FRIEND #2

ME: Why do you say you’re tired. I don’t like those words “I’m just tired”

those words are more emotional/spiritual than physical

FRIEND: I don’t like saying them

ME: you’re not allowed to stop fighting

but you are allowed to stop TRYING

there’s a difference

You know the scripture that says “pick up my yoke, it’s easy”…

FRIEND: I have been struggling spiritually also. I know, I know. I am so UNBALANCED now. I feel lost.

ME:

when we TRY that pretty much means we’ve decided to carry everything on our own shoulders and back, with hardly enough endurance to keep movin’…we say that we are letting God do it for us, when in fact we’re just barely lifting up our eyes toward the sky to make sure the sky hasn’t fallen on us. LOL the weights we carry around become so heavy that it literally pushes our head down to the point that we can’t even lift it. All we can do is lift our eyes

FRIEND: It ends today. I can’t continue to feel this way. I want to blame it on Lupus, on my job- it ends today!

ME: BUT THE WORD SAYS…I will lift my eyes to the hills where my help comes from.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates (cutting between)/dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges (exposes) the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (innermost thoughts and desires). Hebrews 4:12 (NIV/NLT)

Most of us are rekindling “best of” memories from the year, hashing over the “how-on-earth-did-I-survive-that” mind blowing moments and doing our best to lay out realistic intentions/commitments/resolutions for the coming year. Whatever you find yourself doing in these few countdown days & hours, always remember that God will never leave you or forsake you.

“When we’re in the ‘middle’ of life, we can take comfort in knowing we’re right in the center of God’s hands too.” (Holley Gerth)

Frustrated at losing inspiration for the ‘perfect’ blog post, I started sifting through other people’s blogs and found myself in a tailspin of negative self-talk critiquing my own abilities and wondering why I wasn’t having the readership, inspiration and even notoriety of such bloggers. I caught myself in the midst of my own personal “I wish I were” melodrama. Perhaps it was life imitating the art of the blog post challenge or it was in fact some subliminal effect of how easily persuaded we are by the images and influence of our daily lives. Either way, it was real, effective and i had to put a stop to it.

I stumbled across this video and thought it perfectly displayed the message “I Wish I Were”…

bodysnarking

(def): to rudely talk about a persons body or body parts, whether in private or directly at the person; the snide, often witty comments, about other women’s bodies, that have become a part of female conversation; the practice of dissecting other women’s bodies;
to make mean or vicious comments about another persons body

Tabloid culture has made bodysnarking to be a favorite female pastime.
Bodysnarking is one of my favorite things to do while seating on a beach. (Source: urban dictionary.com)

Have we all in some way fallen victim to the subculture of wishing we were something other than we were created to be? There’s a thin line between being motivated and inspired and wishing I were…